


Sonic and Tails meet Crysta the Hedgehog

by LadyoftheWoods



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 17:42:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2516288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyoftheWoods/pseuds/LadyoftheWoods
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sonic rescues a fiery young Hedgehog named Crysta, he couldn't have imagined the adventure that would come along with her. Not only does she have hidden skills, she knows more than she'll say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sonic and Tails meet Crysta the Hedgehog

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic I've ever written, and I based off the games me and my friends played when we were younger. Crysta was my character, and Shadow Hood is a villain I invented. I may have switched up some of the abilities of the characters, but that's just my take on it. I hope you like it! I might write a sequel, I'm not sure yet.

It was a dark night when Crysta found a home. She had been on her own for years, never stopping, always trying to find a gateway to her past, something to give her a clue. But there was never anything, no signs, no clear way to go. So she wandered from place to place, never really settling down, until the night she was attacked. She had recently moved to a new town, and though she was only sixteen, had a day job. She had learned how to disguise her age, making herself seem to be an adult. She was walking home after closing up the little coffee shop she had chose to work in when she felt it. It was a slight chill in the air, a little shift that is only picked up on instinctively. Had you asked what was wrong, she couldn’t have told. But the feeling she got now was that she was being followed. As she walked through the park, her steps came faster, heart pounding and breath coming in gasps as she began to run through fog that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Suddenly, there was something in front of her. She came to an abrupt halt and looked at the thing. It wore a dark cloak and stepped towards her menacingly. Scared, but not showing it Crysta raised her hands. “Who are you? What do you want?” The thing gave no reply and she asked for none. Summoning her strength she readied herself and . . . A blue flash came out of nowhere, attacking the stranger. It bounced off the trees and came flying back full force to knock the thing over, then ran to stand in front of Crysta. “What is happening tonight? Who are you?” she said, exasperated at another sudden appearance. “I’m Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog and it looks like you could use a little help. Come on!” He said, picking her up and carrying her while running. “So what did you do to offend Creepy Guy?” Sonic said, moving at super speed. “How should I know? Some people just like being weird.” She replied grinning. Something about this Sonic made her feel the safest she’d been in a long time. “So where are we going? Not that I don’t appreciate your help, but there is the issue of stranger danger.” Crysta said after a moment. “Well, me and my friend Tails have a house not far from where I found you. I’m just running around right now to make sure whoever that was isn’t following us.” Sonic skidded to a stop outside a little house, and led Crysta in. There was a living room with brown walls consisting of a couch, table, and T.V. There seemed to be a kitchen off to the left, and bedrooms and a bathroom off to the right. “Sorry if it’s a mess. We don’t spend much time here. Usually we’re either travelling or down at Tails’ workshop.” Just then a orange fox peeked it’s head out from one of the bedrooms. “Sonic, what were you doing out so late? We have to get an early start. There’s activity from Shadow being reported, and who knows what he’s up to . . .” Tails trailed off as he noticed Crysta. “Who is that?” Tails asked calmly, looking over Crysta. He noticed she was a hedgehog like Sonic, but her quills were dark purple, with hints of red mixed in. She had bright lavender eyes and wore around her neck a sparkling blue crystal, with a strange wooden symbol attaching it to an old length of cord. “I’m Crysta, and your friend here saved me from a situation I could have handled.” She said, events catching up with her. “Yeah, because you look like you could take on a who knows what.” Said Sonic, annoyed. “you’d be surprised at what I can handle.” Said Crysta, suddenly sounding tired. “There’s an empty bedroom you can use here for the night. If you want. Otherwise Sonic could take you back to your place.” Said Tails, leading her to a smallish room. Crysta nodded, and went in and closed the door. She sat down on the bed and sighed, then fell asleep haunted by faces she almost knew. Meanwhile, Tails and Sonic sat in the living room talking quietly. “So what do you want to do about her?” asked Tails, quietly. Sonic sighed. “I don’t know. She just needed help. I didn’t think what to do next. Tails, whatever it was attacking her, it didn’t pick her at random.” Tails’ eyes widened a little. “Eggman?” He questioned, though Crysta didn’t seem a likely target for him. Sonic shook his head. “Not a chance. He would have sent robots to do his dirty work. This thing just felt empty. Like it didn’t and couldn’t care. She’s keeping something from us Tails, and whatever it is, it’s what got her attacked.” Tails shrugged, “If you had a secret that dangerous, would you tell a stranger?” With that Tails got up and went to his room, leaving Sonic to his thoughts. The next morning Crysta woke early from a restless sleep. She shook the dreams away and rubbed the crystal, a nervous habit, before walking out to the living room. Sonic and Tails were also already up, and were busy bustling around the room, preparing to leave. “Glad you’re up, sleepy head. I was about to make Tails go and you get you. We’re leaving soon, heading over to the workshop before heading out in the Tornado X. Eggman’s up to something again, probably building some overly complicated destructive machine.” Said Sonic, rolling his eyes. “Should I go then?” asked Crysta awkwardly, not sure how to respond. “Well you could, or you could come along with us.” Said Sonic hopefully, while Tails looked on quietly. “ Are you sure thats okay? I don’t want to disrupt anything.” She said, smiling. “It’s no problem. We could use another person on our team. Besides, mystery girl being stalked by shady creature? Who would want to miss out on that adventure.” Sonic said, eyes sparkling. “Well come on then, we’ve got everything, let’s go!” Said Tails, walking out the door. Sonic grinned, “He’s just cranky because he thinks I’m being reckless and foolish.” “Yeah, cause I can tell you’re never either of those things.” Crysta said, both of them bursting into laughter when they heard Tails yell from outside “I heard that!” They reached the workshop quickly, and Crysta was amazed by it’s scope. She had pictured a little building, maybe, with some tools in it, but what she found was a large wood building crammed with all sorts of tools and machinery. Outside there was a pier down by the ocean, with a boat and submarine attached. Sitting on a landing pad outside was a fairly large plane with all sorts of weapons attached to it. “That’s our ship, the Tornado X.” Tails said proudly. “That’s like his baby. He won’t let me drive.” Sonic whispered to Crysta, making her grin. As they entered the workshop a chill went down Crysta’s back, but looking outside she saw nothing. She frowned, and followed Tails as he led her on a tour, mind wandering elsewhere. A short distance from the wooden building, a shadowy figure crouched down, speaking into a glowing black orb. “She’s here. Should I advance?” He said in a quiet voice. “No.” The thing within the orb responded. “Wait until she is separated from the others. It won’t take long.” The thing had a raspy, grating voice. The shadowy figure nodded, and when the group exited the workshop, joking and laughing, he slipped away before he was noticed. When Crysta left the workshop with the boys, the feeling was gone. She shook off her worry and smiled. It had been nothing. It was then, of course, a fleet of about ten robots descended from the sky, clearly in attack mode. “Really Egghead? We were just about to look for you. Why don’t you just give up now?” Sonic said to the robots, moving in front of Crysta. “Never! I’ll beat you this time. You’ll see!” A hologram of a fat man with a large mustache and skinny legs yelled. “Now let’s see how you do against my new and improved robots.Attack!” The hologram shouted before shutting off. Tails rolled his eyes. “He says that every time. Don’t worry, we can take em easily.” Sonic began darting around using his super speed, jumping off of robots and causing them to blow one another up. Tails joined in the fray, hovering above using the two Tails he was named for. He began to drop rocks on the robots from above, and within five minutes they were all destroyed, mainly blown up. “Well that was easy. I’m surprised that was all he sent.” Sonic said, plopping down on the grass next to Tails. “You alright?” he asked the fox. Tails nodded. “I’ve carried you, a few rocks isn’t that hard to manage. You okay Crysta?” Tails said, suddenly realizing that it wasn’t just him and Sonic as usual. “Does that happen often?” She asked, slightly alarmed. Sonic nodded, “Well yeah. That’s what happens when you save the world every other day. Of course, old Egghead isn’t much of a challenge. It’s usually the people who side with him to get an advantage you have to worry about.” Tails nodded in agreement, “Usually he allies with strong fighters, promising them what they want, and then backstabbing them.” he said, laying on the ground. “And he did send someone else. They just didn’t make it here.” Said a voice that sounded like Sonic’s, but slightly deeper. “I delayed them a bit.” Sonic jumped up and spun around, recognizing the voice immediately. “Shadow. What are you doing here?” Sonic said carefully, an edge to his voice. “Relax Blue. Eggman’s up to something, and I’m not exactly on his side. Besides, you always have some interesting thing going on. He sent Robo Sonic, but I delayed him. I’ll be going now. Oh,by the way, I heard word that your little companion there is being asked about in some seriously shady circles. I better be off now!” Shadow said, a flash of recognition crossing his face when he saw Crysta, but then he was gone as Sonic yelled “Shadow wait!” but he had already vanished. “Figures. The most unreliable person we know gives us a kind of lead.” Said Tails. “What is that you know that is making these people come after you?” Crysta just shook her head, looking down. “I can’t say. I can’t . . it would only be more trouble for you. I don’t even know all of it. There’s faces I almost know and the things I feel I’ve seen . . .” She said trailing off, leaving the boys silent. “Maybe I should go. There’s no need for me to disrupt you further. There are things I can’t say.” She said helplessly. “There’s no chance we’re leaving you behind. Shadow may be unreliable, but he’s usually right. You can’t go off by yourself until we get this straightened out.” Sonic replied, “now come on, let’s go.” Later that day Crysta sat on a little ledge by one of the windows thinking, and looking at her crystal. As she zoned out she saw flashes of events. A blaze of fire, a shadow of darkness, and a great cry of sorrow and grief. She jolted out of her trance when they hit some turbulence, and shook the visions off. Sighing, she thought of her past. Or rather how little she knew. “Hey, how are you doing?” Sonic said quietly, as if she were an animal that could be frightened away easily. “I’m fine. I am!” She said forcefully in response to Sonic’s look. “What you said earlier, what is it you see?” Crysta frowned and looked out the window. “Darkness. Fire. And someone I know, or used to know. I don’t know Sonic. I can’t remember. I never could. My childhood, my family, I have nothing of them. The only thing I’ve ever had is this.” She said, grasping her necklace. “Why do they want you?” At that Crysta looked Sonic straight in the eye. “I have my suspicions, but I will not tell you unless I must. It’s too dangerous. I shouldn’t even have told you this much. You’ll only be put into a harder position.” she said softly. “These things I see Sonic, they aren’t just nightmares. I’ll say no more.” They sat there in for a long while in silence, before Tails entered. “Crysta, I know you don’t feel it yet, but you’re part of this team now. We will keep you safe, and when you’re ready to tell us what you’re hiding we’ll listen. Now go get some rest. I can tell you’re exhausted.” Sonic lead Crysta to a small room filled with bunk beds and left quietly as she fell asleep. He wandered about the ship for a while before heading up to the cockpit where Tails was sitting the pilot’s chair relaxing. He had set the plane on autopilot, and was playing a game on his phone. “What it she refuses to speak about Tails? What could be that bad?” Sonic said, frustrated. “She has her own demons. Sonic, our villains are our way of getting out anger. We talk to each other when there’s an issue. We know each other, and drive each other crazy, but we have trust. It’s clear she’s never had someone, and it seems she’s been hiding from something. It will all come out eventually.” Tails said calmly, never taking his eyes off the game he was playing. “Besides, she can defend herself.” Sonic looked at him surprised. “What? You can see it in her eyes. She’s stronger than you think, and could probably take you down if she wanted. we’ll see what she can do in time.” They sat quietly as Tails flew, looking for signs of Eggman or his ship. Meanwhile Crysta tossed and turned, dreams far from restful. She was walking through a strange place, what appeared to be a beach, with ocean waves washing upon the shore. The sky seemed deep and stormy, like rain would pour down at any moment. As she wandered upon the shore she felt someone watching her, a darkness approaching. Turning around she saw the thing in the cloak that had attacked her. It looked at her with red eyes. “Who are you?” she asked forcefully, refusing to be scared. “You have no place here.” The creature chuckled quietly, a dark noise. “You know less than you think. Hand over the gem, and maybe I won’t destroy your little friends along with you. You have caused me much grief.” Crysta stumbled backwards as a vision hit her. A castle, lightning, fire. Then it was gone. When she looked up again she was clutching her necklace, Eyes burning bright. “What do you know?” She asked fiercely, but the being just laughed cruelly and began to fade away. “No! Tell Me!” She screamed, falling onto the sand as a wave of cold washed over. She awoke shivering in the bunk bed, and sat quietly for a second before going to find the boys.Just as Crysta walked into the cockpit, Tails veered sharply to the side, causing her and Sonic to fall over. “Egghead’s ship, dead ahead. It’s firing at us, by the way, so if anyone has any ideas, let’s hear em now!” Tails called. “Let’s get ready to board. It’s the Egg Carrier, so Eggman will definitely be there.” Sonic said, “you should stay here.” he said looking at Crysta. “Absolutely not. I am in a bad mood and would love to beat something up right now. You have any swords?” She asked confidently, and Tails gestured to a small room off to the side without a hint of surprise. When she exited she held a sword the length of half her arm, and looked defiantly around her. “Lets go,” she said confidently, and Tails landed the ship on top of the Egg Carrier. “Through here!” Tails yelled over the wind, yanking open a trapdoor, and jumping through to the level below. “He likes beating things up.” Sonic explained, jumping down after Tails. Crysta smiled and followed, sword gripped expertly in hand. The Egg Carrier seemed to be a maze of hallways filled with robots trying to destroy the group as soon as they laid eyes on them. The three were able to sneak through back hallways and lesser used rooms for a while, as Tails had stolen the blueprints, but all too soon they were spotted by the enemy. “Stay back Crysta!” Sonic shouted. Crysta replied by yelling “Yeah right!” and jumping towards the enemy robots. She expertly avoided their fire, and ducked around it. She slashed the robots from behind, and jumped back when they exploded, the wind causing her quills to blow wildly around her. Sonic and Tails watched in surprise as she completely demolished the entire squadron of robots. “Well, that wasn’t to hard.” She said, not even out of breath. “Where did you learn That?” asked Tails astonished. “I told you I could defend myself. Now come on!” She said, running ahead, eyes alight with excitement. Sonic shrugged, “She said she wasn’t telling us everything.” The boys ran to catch up with Crysta. After fighting their way through the Egg Carrier’s corridors, they finally reached the main control room. It was filled with buttons and glowing dials half of which were only there for decoration, and had windows looking out on all three sides. Sitting in a large chair was a rather fat man with legs that seemed to skinny to support him. He had a large red mustache and wore a red coat. “Well, well, Sonic the hedgehog, I’m so glad you could make it to my take over the world party.” Said Eggman. “I’m here too you know.” Said Tails, annoyed. “Sonic may be your nemesis, but we can thwart you just as easily as he can.” Said Tails, gesturing to him and Crysta. “Oh, what’s this? Does Sonic have a new lady friend?” Eggman said to Sonic, looking at Crysta. She stared back defiantly. “Well, perhaps I can give you a little incentive to play my games.” With an evil smile on his face Eggman pulled a lever, and a trapdoor opened beneath Crysta. She had no time to jump out of the way, and shot a startled glance at Sonic before falling down the pit. “Where is she Egghead?” Sonic demanded menacingly. “Oh, don’t worry. If you pass my little tests you’ll get her back safe and sound. Of course, I’m not the one you should be worrying about. There are quite a few people after your little friend, and if they find her first, well, that would be unfortunate.” He said darkly. “What do you want?” asked Tails calmly. “Simple, find your way through my maze of doom, and you’ll find your prize at the center. Well, this is your stop!” Eggman said suddenly, pulling another switch ejecting Tails and Sonic from the ship. Tails grabbed onto Sonic, and they flew down to the ground, just outside what appeared to be a giant labyrinth made out of stone. “She’s in there somewhere. We have to find her Tails. This is our fault.” Sonic said miserably. “She’ll be fine. You saw how well she can fight. She can protect herself.” Tails responded. Sonic nodded, and they headed into the maze. Crysta had tumbled in the dark down a chute, smacking against the metal sides as she was dropped downwards. At some point she must have hit her head, and the next thing she knew she was waking up inside a cylindrical container. It was just large enough that she could put her arms out and her fingers would barely touch the sides. Looking up, she saw the top was solid metal with a small hatch in the center of the roof. Unfortunately it was to high to reach, and the sides were polished completely flat, leaving no handholds. She noticed also that the floor of her prison was metal, and bolted to the ground. Hopefully she tried hitting the sides of the container with her sword. They were clear, allowing her to look out at her surroundings, but no luck. The sides just rebounded the sword, causing Crysta to fall over and get a new bruise. Clearly this thing wasn’t going to break. “Great. This isn’t getting me anywhere.” She said, sitting down on the metal floor contemplating an escape plan. Sonic and Tails entered the maze. “Which way should we go?” asked Sonic, unsure in unfamiliar territory. “Go left. you’re always supposed to go left in a maze.” Tails responded. “Who do you think will be in here anyway?” asked Sonic as they walked through the endless corridors. “I don’t know. Why don’t you just zoom ahead and find out?” asked Tails. “My speeds not working right. Something with this place is messing with it.” The two walked on in silence, jumping when a hologram of Eggman appeared. “Ready for your first test Sonic? I wouldn’t want you to get bored.” he said. “Again, I’m here too!” Tails called, annoyed as the hologram disappeared as fast as it had come. “Ready Tails?” Sonic asked, and Tails nodded as a hidden compartment in the side of the wall opened up, releasing a robot version of Sonic. “Great. I love being attacked by my robot double.” Sonic groaned. “At least we know we’re going the right direction. He wouldn’t have bothered booby trapping the wrong path.” Tails responded, jumping into action. Using a newly discovered skill, he focused and his fists started on fire. The flames wouldn’t burn him, but they were charged up so they would do double damage to an opponent. Tails had recently become tired of being the weak link, of getting kidnapped by Eggman and being held hostage, a constant distraction to Sonic. So he had learned how to defend himself. Turns out, he was a natural fighter, whose skill was just as good as Sonic’s. Tails jumped towards metal Sonic, weaving around its punches, and landed a hit on its head, causing it to melt partially. “Sonic, if we can pin this thing, I can destroy it!” Tails called. “See if your speed is working now!” Sonic nodded, and began to run faster and faster until he became a blur of blue. He began to run in a circle around metal Sonic, creating a wind tornado. “Now Tails!” He called, as the wind reached it’s peak, spiralling into the sky. Tails focused and made a fireball, throwing it into the wind. By now the spiral had a life of its own, and Sonic jumped back just as it erupted into a giant fiery tornado. It spiraled around the robot for a good minute before fading away, leaving nothing of it but some molten metal. “Well that wasn’t too hard.” Tails said grinning, walking away from the sight of destruction. Sonic followed and they continued on their way. Crysta looked up. In the distance she could see a decent sized tornado. Suddenly it erupted into flames before slowly fading away. “Sonic.” She whispered to herself, knowing that him and Tails were the only ones who could create that. “They’re working their way here alright, but I doubt Eggman would let them have you. He’d probably lift you up into the Egg Carrier before they rescued you.” Crysta spun around to see Shadow standing outside her prison, a smug smile on his face. “You! How did you get here so fast?” She said surprised. “I have my tricks. Now come on, we have to get you out of there.” He said impatiently. “How? This thing is sealed up tight.” Suddenly Shadow disappeared, then reappeared right in front of her. He took her hand and the next thing she knew she was standing outside of the container. “What- how?” Crysta stammered disorientated. “I told you, have my tricks. Besides, you could have gotten out if you wanted to.” He said smugly. Crysta looked at him sharply, eyes guarded. “What do you mean by that?” She asked carefully. “Nothing. We should get you out of here before someone else finds you. Sonic and Tails aren’t the only ones in this maze.” Shadow said, looking around warily. “How do we find them?” Crysta asked, looking at all the different paths. “We could search the entire maze, or we could do this.” Shadow said, and suddenly they were standing on top of the maze’s walls. “Are you going to tell me how you keep doing that?” asked Crysta, exasperated. “when you start trusting me with secrets, I’ll start trusting you.” Shadow said, his searching gaze letting Crysta know that he knew more about her than she thought. “Now come on, before they get into serious trouble!” Shadow said as he began running across the top of the walls, looking for signs of Sonic. Sonic and Tails continued through the maze on guard. They had run into a few more of Eggman’s robots, and the last one had gotten pretty close to setting Sonic on fire. Tails had ripped out it’s power source causing it to destroy itself, but it had been too close for comfort. They were continuing through the maze when a figure appeared out of the shadows. It wore a black cloak and had burning red eyes. “Where is the girl?” It asked in a dark silky voice. “Sonic is that. . .” Tails trailed off. “Yeah, that’s what was attacking Crysta.” Sonic replied in a low tone. “I ask again, where is the girl?” the figure said. Both Sonic and Tails stood their ground, remaining silent. “This will be fun indeed.” The figure said. It raised its hands and red beams shot out, causing the two boys to fly backwards. Crysta stumbled, and Shadow caught her before she fell. Once again she saw a vision of fire and darkness and ruin. “What is it?” Shadow asked, helping her up. “I don’t . . . This way.” She said, focusing completely. She felt a pull inside of her, something leading her forward through the twists and turns. As she ran the images repeated behind her eyes. Fire and darkness, and someone who held the answers. Shadow ran silently beside her, worried eyes focused ahead. Sonic flew backwards and skidded to a stop on his feet, while Tails flew upwards and landed neatly on the ground. “How did he do that?” Tails asked with shock. “I don’t know, but he needs to be taken down a peg.” said Sonic, charging head on at the thing. When he was about a foot away he slammed into a barrier and flew back yet again. “Was that really the smartest idea? Let’s run straight at the crazy man who has some kind of unknown powers.” Said Tails sarcastically. “Well what do you suggest?” Asked Sonic out of breath. “Let’s try this!” Said Tails, shooting fire out of his hands. It simply dissipated around the invisible dome protecting their enemy. “Oh yeah, cause that worked soo much better.” Sonic scoffed, Tails glaring at him. “Watch out!” Tails yelled, jumping up and hovering as the being created a rift in the ground that fell down into darkness. Sonic yelped and jumped backwards falling over and barely clearing the gap. The thing raised its hands again, this time pointed at Sonic, and the hedgehog knew he couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. From the being’s hands came a torrent of what looked like smoke, except it seemed darker than black. “Sonic!” Tails screamed, darting down trying to grab Sonic and pull him out of the way. Just as the blackness was about to collide with Sonic, a purple blur jumped down from the side of the maze and stood defiantly in front of Sonic. “Shield!” She yelped raising her hands up, and a purple translucent dome enclosed the two as the darkness pushed down from above. Crysta, guided by her internal compass, finally found Sonic and Tails just as Sonic was about to be overtaken by that horrible blackness. Without thinking she jumped down in front of him, as Shadow yelled “Crysta wait!” She didn’t listen. She was past caring about hiding her abilities, this was a desperate situation. “Shield!” She called as she hopped down, the word focusing her power into the form she wished it to take. Holding her hands upwards she held it as the darkness swirled outside. “Are you okay?” She asked Sonic, slightly out of breath. “Yeah. I’m fine. How are you doing?” Asked Sonic cautiously, standing up and brushing dirt off of him. “I’m fine. This . . is . . hard.” She said strained, as the darkness began to push in. “Crysta you need to stop. You can’t hold this much longer.” Sonic said with worry. “Can’t stop. Darkness . . can’t get. in.” She panted. Outside the shield, Shadow stood on the wall watching with concern. He knew Crysta couldn’t keep it up much longer. She was already running low on energy, this wouldn’t last long. He startled as Tails flew up and landed next to him. “So you’re the one who found her first? I wonder how you knew she was here.” Tails said, giving him a sidelong glance. “I have my ways.” Shadow said, crossing his arms. “Soon you will have to tell us how you know her. It won’t be kept hidden forever.” Tails said. Shadow looked at him, dark eyes wary. “We’ll see. Now let’s see if we can get them out of there.” He said, teleporting to the bottom of the wall, hidden in shadow. Inside the protective dome, the barrier began to weaken. It started flickering. “On the count of three let up, and I’ll run us out of the way.” Sonic said, trying to come up with a decent plan “your speed . . isn’t working right.” Crysta said, swaying on her feet. It was that moment Shadow teleported in. “Hey Blue, how’s it going?” Shadow said lightheartedly, grabbing Sonic and teleporting away. “Take me back. She’s in trouble!” Yelled Sonic from his new location. “Relax, I’ve got her.” Shadow responded, cocky tone not entirely covering up his concern. In a flash Shadow was back inside the dome, which was cracking and leaking black ink in. “I’ve got you Red. Let go.” Shadow said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Shadow? I . . I know you.” Crysta said, before her knees buckled and her shield fell. Shadow caught her and teleported away just before the dark came in. “Remember me, for I, Shadow Hood, will find you.” A voice said within Crysta’s mind, before she slipped away. Shadow thought about taking her back to Sonic and Tails, dropping her off, and then slipping back into the night. But he couldn’t. What were her words, she had said, “Shadow? I remember you.” That echoed through his mind. The way she had said it, so tired, so child like, gave him hope. What if she did remember? It had been so long, but still. He had finally found her. So instead of taking her home to Sonic, he took her back to his place. He knew Sonic would be furious, and Tails would kill him, but he didn’t care. He had to know. Sonic paced nervously in the Tornado X, while Tails sat silently staring out a window. “He’s coming right? He said he would. He has to.” Sonic ranted, nervous. After Shadow had teleported Sonic as far out of the maze as he could, he left with the promise that he’d bring Crysta as soon as he could. He could only teleport so far at a time, so he might have to make shorter leaps. There hadn’t been time to argue, so Sonic and Tails took off towards the ship while Shadow went back for Crysta. There had been no sign of the thing that had attacked them, so they assumed it gone while they waited. And waited. It had been about four hours now, and the sky was starting to turn shades of pink and purple. “Sonic, he’s not coming. This is why we can’t trust him. He does things like this.” Tails said coldly, walking over to Sonic. “We have to try to find him on our own.” Said Tails, turning to go start up the ship. “She’ll be fine Sonic. Shadow knows more than it seems. He’ll keep her safe.” Tails said as he walked away. “He better.” Sonic muttered angrily. Shadow had made his way slowly to where his house sat hidden in a stand of trees not far from the beach. He had built it out on an obscure island in the hopes that people would leave him alone. So far it had worked, though he knew his peace would soon be disturbed. The house was a cozy log cabin, with a large kitchen and living room downstairs, and two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. He had managed to make it feel homey, and though it didn’t seem like his kind of place, he enjoyed his hard won peace. He pushed open the door and carried Crysta up the steps to a bedroom. He gently placed her in the guest room bed, pulling up the blanket when she shifted in her sleep. He sighed, and sat down in a chair by the bed to wait. As he sat he thought of the past, of the ruin it was. “Oh Crysta. What have we done now?” He asked himself softly. He sighed and got up, ready to head downstairs to make some food. “Shadow?” Crysta called, voice small and tired. Shadow spun around and unthinkingly teleported to the bedside. “I’m here Crysta. You’re safe. You’re safe.” He repeated softly. “He’s back isn’t he? He should be gone.” She said quietly. “Just rest. Don’t worry. We won’t be found here.” Shadow said, taking Crysta’s hand. “What about Sonic and Tails? Are they alright?” Shadow ran his hand through his quills. “They were fine when I left them. I expect they’ll find us here soon enough. They’re probably worried sick about you.” Shadow said, smiling softly. “They’ll kill you when they find you. Watch out for Tails.” Crysta said, smiling weakly before her eyes fluttered shut, taking her back into dreamworld. Shadow’s smile faded as he walked downstairs, awaiting the arrival of Sonic and Tails. “I’m going to destroy him.” Sonic said as Tails taxied the plane around, using the water landing gear to touch down on the ocean. They had located Shadow’s house fairly easily, giving Tails the feeling he hadn’t been trying to hide. From them anyway, though he was at least in a fairly secluded spot. If he had been trying to stay hidden, Tails had no doubt that they never would have found him. “Who does he think he is?” Sonic continued to rant. “Let’s go in and find out.” Tails said, parking the ship and hopping onto the beach. “Of course it’s an island. I hate water.” Sonic grumbled as they climbed up the sand and through the trees to the cabin. Sonic burst in without even knocking. “Where is she?” He demanded of a startled looking Shadow. “She’s upstairs resting. It took a lot out of her, what she did to save you. Had she pushed herself farther we might have lost her.” he said standing. Tails walked in the door and immediately punched Shadow, knocking him over. “I deserved that, but calm down.” Shadow said, picking himself up off the floor.”She’s fine and I just. . I just needed to know if she remembered. If she knew me.” Shadow said, trailing off. “It’s time you told us what you know. How did she do that, save Sonic? Who was that?” asked Tails quietly but forcefully, trying to stay as calm as possible. Shadow shook his head. “That’s not for me to say. It’s her past, I just got dragged in near the end. I’m not even sure how much she remembers, but I know she sees flashes.” Tails nodded, and they followed Shadow up the stairs and into the small bedroom. Flames. Darkness. Bright red eyes and a set of black quills carrying her away. Crysta jolted awake to see Sonic, Tails and Shadow hovering next to the bed. But all her focus went to Shadow. “You’re okay! I thought- I didn’t- I just. .” She trailed off, taking in his smile, so rare on the dark colored hedgehog. “Why is she worried about him? He kidnapped her.” Sonic grumbled. “He didn’t kidnap me. He saved me. Today and long ago.” Crysta said softly, standing up shakily. Her knees buckled beneath her and Shadow caught her, putting an arm around her to support her. “Do you remember it all?” Shadow asked quietly. “Yes, mostly. Enough anyway.” She said as Shadow helped her down the stairs to the living room. They all found seats around the small area, while Crysta began to fumble through her story. “ I don’t know where to start. I guess at the beginning.I come from a far away place, a kingdom not far from here, but a hidden place where magic and kings and queens still exist and are very real. I was raised by the rulers of one such kingdom. They found me wandering the streets one day, and I couldn’t remember where I’d come from. The queen could see the power I held. The magic within me. They took me in and trained me, treated me as their child. But when I turned ten it all changed. A dark force was released. It threatened the entire kingdom. That was when Shadow appeared. He came out of nowhere, and trusted my instincts. As the darkness approached we couldn't defend against it. This thing overwhelmed our mages, broke down our walls. When it was on our doorstep the queen gave me this.” She said, rubbing her crystal, “She said it was the key, and to keep it safe. Then she thrust me into Shadow’s arms, and told him to keep me safe, and to not come back. As we sailed away I watched the dark cloud overtake the kingdom, saw the palace burn, saw the king destroyed with a dark aura spear, and the queen run to her husband’s side only to be shot down as well. Then the thing that caused it all turned his wrath on the sea. He could tell that I had what he sought, what he fought so hard for. So he called up a storm. In the chaos the boat spun through the water, eventually tipping and casting us all out to sea. I tried to hold on, but I was swept away. I must have woken up here without a clue. And now he’s back. He’s found me again, and this time he won’t stop.” Said Crysta, finishing her tale softly. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sonic spoke up. “So what exactly is there between you two? How did you end up there Shadow?” It was then Shadow’s turn to relay his tale. “How else? I was trying to find somewhere I would just be left alone. The queen noticed my weapons skills one day, and asked me to train their young daughter, so that she wouldn’t be defenseless. It was early, but I think they could sense the danger coming their way. I began to admire her strength, and she was curious about the outside world. I swore that I would be there always, to protect her. We got into many small adventures while romping about the castle and the surrounding area, but nothing could have prepared either of us for that night. We knew there was trouble, but the king was good at hiding his worry, so we didn’t think anything of it, until we were thrown out of the palace while it was being attacked, in an attempt to protect both us and the crystal. I never found out what it did, and I don’t think Crysta ever did either. After we were swept out to sea I tried to find her, though I wouldn’t tell her of the past unless she remembered it herself. No one should have memories like that. And then I found her, and I didn’t know what to think, and she was in trouble and I didn’t know what to do, so I took her where I knew she would be safe.” Shadow finished and the room once again lapsed into a contemplative silence. “So who is he? This guy who destroyed an entire kingdom?” Tails asked quietly. “Shadow Hood.That’s his name.” Said Crysta quietly. Shadow looked at her in surprise. “But we never knew! How did you-” “He told me. Right as we were leaving. He said he would find me wherever we went.” Crysta said cutting Shadow off and looking around the room at all of them. “We won’t let him take you, not without a fight.” Said Sonic, getting up and pacing around the room. “That’s what I’m worried about! He won’t stop, and if you get hurt because of me I don’t know what I’d do. This isn’t even your fight, you’ve known me for barely two days! I should just leave. It would be safer for all of you.” She said standing up. She was too worked up to stay put. “Absolutely not. If you went out on your own right now you wouldn’t stand a chance. You haven’t had time to build up your energy. Your power is weak.” Shadow said from the couch. “This isn’t your choice! Besides, I know there’s something else, something more. I just can’t deal with you all right now!” Crysta said, storming outside. “Give her some time. She needs some space to process her newly found memories.” Tails said, grabbing a soda out of the kitchen. Sonic watched Crysta walk down to the beach and sit on the shore, while Shadow sat on the couch, silent as ever. Crysta stormed to the beach and plopped down on the sand. Shadow was right, she couldn’t defend herself in this state, but she knew that the others would get hurt if she stayed. She couldn’t do that to them, they had taken her in, Sonic had saved her. And Shadow, well, he had rescued her twice now. She sighed and let the crashing of the waves sooth her and felt the wind blow past. It cleared her mind, and for a second she felt at peace before the weight came crashing back down. She sucked in her breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes. “I just need answers. But how do I find them?” Crysta said to herself. “You failed.” The voice inside the black orb said angrily. “I’m sorry. but she will seek us out now, I have no doubt. She still has questions, and we have answers.” Shadow Hood said to the orb. “Agreed. Do not let me down again.” the orb said, before going dormant again. “I will succeed Master.” And he faded into the night in search of his prey. After what seemed like a long while the sun began to rise and Crysta came back inside. Despite their worry all the boys had fallen asleep on the furniture. She looked at them all and knew she couldn’t put them at risk. So as the sun slipped above the horizon she snuck out of the house and found the small boat Shadow sometimes used to get to and from the island. She started the quiet motor and headed towards the mainland, leaving the others behind. “I’m sorry.” She said, looking back towards her friends. Tails woke up first as usual. He was instantly alert, sensing that something was wrong. He quietly looked around the room, and then went and stared out the window. The others were then woken up by his shouted curse word. “Who was supposed to be watching her?! We knew she was going to try to leave, and now she’s gone!” Tails yelled. Sonic and Shadow jumped up, and looked around groggily, startling into alertness. “Come on then, we have to find her!” Sonic said, heading out the door to the Tornado X. “You won’t get anywhere like that. If she doesn’t want to be found, you won’t be able to find her. She can hide. She hid from everyone for years.” Shadow said running a hand through his quills. “If I hadn’t started asking questions this wouldn’t have happened.” He said miserably. “We don’t have time for self pity. The quicker we get moving, the better chance we have of getting to her before somebody else does.” Tails said logically, heading out the door. Shadow shook his head and followed, clearing his mind of all the things that could possibly go wrong at this point. Crysta had made it back to the mainland and was trying to lay low in the city. She knew the others would be searching for her by now, so she stayed in crowded places, where one girl was unnoticable, invisible, within the slowly moving pack of people. She kept her mind focused, searching for signs of other magic at work, wary of strangers. So she felt it the moment he arrived. She gasped as she felt his power, his darkness, and struggled not to quicken her pace. He knew she was alone, she had no doubt, and she readied her own power. She would not be so easily beaten this time. This time she didn’t need to worry about her friends, making sure they were safe and out of the way. She had the power now to trump him, and she planned to use it. She scanned the crowd for a black hood or red eyes, but saw nothing. That was when the sky turned suddenly stormy, and darkened. She looked upwards like everyone else, but she knew what she would find. A cloud of darkness with Shadow Hood at it’s head, descending to catch her. Well, she would not be caught running away. As the other people began to panic and flee, Crysta stood still, and waited. By the time Shadow Hood descended the streets were practically clear, and it was just him and Crysta facing off. “Your little friends aren’t here to save you now.” He snarled, the cool and confident figure gone, replaced with a vengeful spirit. “I don’t need them to take down a minor threat like you.” She replied, voice full of spite. They stared down for a second, then the battle began. “She’s got to be over there! called Sonic, pointing at the blackening sky and panicking crowd. “She’s wherever the trouble is.” Shadow said tightly. “Hang on. I’m landing down here. Try to stay out of sight.” Tails said, angling the ship downwards. “But-” Shadow started, “No.” Sonic said. “Tails is right. Don’t intervene unless she’s in big trouble. We would just be a distraction. She’s overpowered for sure, but us being there won’t help.” Shadow nodded, and the plane landed. The group stealthily moved towards the source of the darkness as the ground shook from the force of a hit. Crysta jumped aside and threw up a shield as Shadow Hood sent a blast of power at her. She sent a burst of light back towards him which he easily dodged. “Is that all you have little girl?” he asked mockingly, slamming his hand on the ground making a large crack speed towards Crysta. She jumped out of the way stumbling, and used her powers to momentarily tangle him up in viney plants that sprouted out of the earth. “What is it you want from me?” She asked as Shadow Hood summoned fire and began flinging it at her. “What your fool foster parents thought you could protect, after all, don’t you want to meet your father?” He asked with false sincerity. This made Crysta stand still in shock for a moment, and she got blasted with a shot of dark magic making her fly backwards and slam into a building. Groggily she got to her feet and jumped out of the way as another blast threatened to knock her out. “What do you know of that?” She asked furiously, whipping out her sword and charging at Shadow Hood, blasting magic out of her left hand. In response Shadow Hood pulled out his own sword, a dark colored blade, slightly longer and wider than Crysta’s. He smiled grimly as they collided, and began a deadly dance of skill. “What is she doing? She’s better off with long range attacks.” Muttered Tails from their hiding spot. “You would know. He must have said something to set her off.” Shadow muttered, peeking over Tails’ head. “We can get a better view from the top of a building.” Sonic said, jumping up to the top of the store they were hiding behind. Crysta saw a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened and she glanced towards it quickly, causing her to get cut on her arm before she spun away. Shadow Hood had seen her look and used his power to fling her backwards, turning to where she had been looking. He smiled grimly and directed his magic in a different direction. The group watched the fight from the roof. “What’s happening?” Sonic asked, peeking his head out. “Umm, he’s looking over here.” Tails said, as Shadow Hood flung Crysta backwards and turned towards their hiding spot. “I think we’re in trouble.” Shadow said, backing away from the ledge they were hiding behind. A flash of dark light encircled them all, and they were trapped inside a gray orb and floated over the building until they were hovering above Shadow Hood. “Let’s get up higher, we’ll have a better view.” Tails said mockingly. “Well we did. Until we let the bad guy see us.” Sonic said annoyed. “Is this really the time for this?” Shadow asked, “I mean, Crysta’s gonna kill us for this.” He said, seemingly unconcerned with their current position. “Oh. We weren’t supposed to be here, were we?” Sonic said guiltily, turning around when Crysta yelled. “Really guys? If you’re going to follow me, you couldn’t you have at least stayed out of the way?!” She called up to them, getting up from where she had been thrown down. “It’s his fault!” They all cried at the same time, pointing to each other. “I’m still here you know.” Shadow Hood said sarcastically as the group began to bicker over just who’s fault it was. “And it seems you are in no position to argue with me.” At this he closed his fist and the globe the boys were held in became smaller. “Now give me the crystal or I crush them.” he said menacingly, clearly meaning what he said. Crysta looked helplessly at the boys. “Don’t do it Crysta!” Sonic called, always in hero mode. “Well, you know, it would be nice not to die.” Tails said calmly, leaning against the side of the container. “Shadow?” Crysta said quietly, asking his opinion. “Do what you have to and don’t regret it.” He responded, looking straight at her, “just do it now.” Crysta nodded and took a breath. “Let them down and you can have it.” She said, taking off her necklace. Shadow Hood grinned. “I’m not so easily fooled, little princess. Give it here and I’ll let them down.” He said, tightening the circle. “We trade halfway.” She said, refusing to back down. She made the crystal float towards Shadow Hood, and Shadow Hood began lowering the group to the ground. But when the crystal got to him he let out an evil laugh. “Nice try little girl, but I’ll be keeping these as trophies. Perhaps we will meet again!” He called, raising the globe that held her friends back up. Channeling her anger and fear, Crysta blasted all the power she had left at Shadow Hood. It was just enough to make his magic falter for a moment. In that second Shadow grabbed Sonic and Tails, and teleported with the two of them down to the ground. As Crysta ran over to the group Shadow Hood snarled and lept forward, lashing out a tentacle of inky magic that wrapped itself around Crysta’s leg, ensnaring her just as Shadow Hood used his power to teleport away. “No!” Shadow yelped, and without thinking teleported to where she was disappearing and grabbed onto her hand, vanishing with her and Shadow Hood in a flash of bright light. Sonic and Tails stood silent for a moment, processing what had happened. “Why didn’t you get over there? You’re supposed to be the fastest thing on earth.” Tails said. “Shut up Tails. Let’s get to the ship and try to find those two. Again. Honestly, why does everyone get kidnapped?” Sonic grumbled under his breath. “Because we’re supposed to be saving them, but clearly, we’re having an off day!” Tails called from behind. “By the way, I’m driving!” They disappeared in a whirl of wind and light, and when Crysta and Shadow stumbled backwards they were in a completely different place. It seemed to be a castle. They were in a large room, lit dimly will torches around the sides of the walls. The walls themselves were made out of dark stone, with heavy wooden doors opening into other hallways. Crysta looked around eyes wide. “How do you like it? I think it suits me.” Shadow Hood said, mockery in his voice. “What have you done?” Crysta asked, sounding lost. “Stay away from her.” Shadow said, coming to his senses and standing in front of Crysta. “Shadow, look around. Don’t you recognize these halls? This place of laughter, of kindness. I have turned it dark, and all that is missing is a king to rule us all.” Crysta turned to Shadow Hood sharply then. “There was a king, and I will take back this land for him, for all those I couldn’t protect. I am his daughter, and you will fall.” She said, staring around the room of her old home. She and Shadow had spent long years here, and Shadow Hood had defiled all that they had been in this place. For this was the castle she had lived in as a princess, before the fire and darkness and terror. At that Shadow Hood laughed. “Do you still not see? I wouldn’t have chased you so relentlessly, I wouldn’t have brought you here if all I needed from you was the treasure you wore around your neck. I took such care not to destroy, to only weaken you, to get your friends out of the way. And all for what? So we could have a nice little chat about the end of your precious light?” Shadow Hood began to move closer, and when Shadow tried to stand between him and Crysta, Shadow Hood flung him against the wall. Shadow fell to the floor unconscious. Crysta backed away until she was against the wall. “Surely you can feel it. Surely you know.” Crysta’s eyes widened as a realization began to hit her. Shadow Hood backed away. “You do know, I can see it. Or at least you suspect. You’ll see soon. But I have work to be done, and you can’t be getting in the way. I will need your assistance you see, so you’ll have to stay put. Any smart moves and I’ll end your little friend over there, not that you could do much. You’re fairly drained aren’t you?” He called over his shoulder as he cast a spell. Shadow Hood began to chant in an ancient language, holding in front of him two crystals. One was a dark swirling black, and Crysta could sense a being held inside. The other was the blue crystal she had guarded all her life. As the spell begun the room darkened and the glow of the crystals brightened. Against her will she was seemingly pushed by the air around her to the center of the room. Her mind seemed fuzzy, and she couldn’t focus, and her limbs seemed to move by themselves, without her controlling them. Slowly she raised her hands up and the crystals came to float above her head, near the ceiling. Their glows brightened and their light seemed to spiral down to her, their power running through her like electricity. Her eyes blazed blue as she began to chant, and the crystals began to spiral around one another, the light encasing Crysta copying the movement until she was hidden from sight by a tornado of color. The crystals sped around one another faster and faster until they blurred into one. Then the light faded and the crystals, now one, fell into Crysta’s hands. It burned when it touched her and she dropped it, falling to her knees. The world seemed to move slower, and it felt as if all the energy had been drained out of her. “Crysta!” Shadow called, getting up from where he had fallen and running over to the girl. “Not Yet.” Shadow Hood said, and before Shadow could get close he ran into what felt like an invisible wall caging him in. Crysta watched as the crystal began to melt into the shape of a hedgehog. The inky liquid climbed up and built upon itself until it formed the unmistakable shape of Mephiles the Dark. “No, this isn’t possible, WE DESTROYED YOU!” Shadow yelled, pounding on the invisible barrier. Mephiles let out a dark chuckle that sent shivers up Shadow’s spine. “Do you even know what you’ve done?” He asked Shadow Hood incredulously. “I have only reunited Father and Daughter. Did you know that part of the story? Or did you miss that chapter also?” Shadow Hood said, pretending to sound innocent. “That’s not possible.” Shadow said flatly. “Don’t you dare hurt her!” Shadow yelled at Mephiles, realizing a second after he said it that Mephiles now knew a weakness of his. Ignoring Shadow, Mephiles turned to Shadow Hood. “You have done well, despite some minor setbacks. You will be rewarded. But now I must attend to this family reunion.” He said, turning to Crysta. She rested on her knees, feeling drained, but she looked up at him with blazing violet eyes, defiance written on her face. “Come daughter, give in to the dark. It’s time to give in to the endless battle you fight within yourself.” Mephiles said almost sweetly. Crysta shook her head. “I will never join you. I will fight you always until you’re back in that orb you came from.” She said, keeping her voice strong though she was out of strength to fight. She could feel his dark powers wrapping around her, trying to force her to cave in, but she fought the mental battle silently and held on. “Such a shame. A daughter should listen to her father.” He said cruelly, and shot a purple ball of dark aura at her, causing her to cry out and skid backwards. To Crysta the pure evil of the magic felt like lightning running through her body, burning her. “Submit!” Mephiles called to her, but still she refused. He blasted her again, twice as strong, and she fell onto her back groaning. Mephiles sighed. “You will give in, sooner or later. Take her. We must get back to our plans, and put them into action.” Shadow Hood nodded respectfully, and forced Crysta up. “This isn’t over Shadow. When I next see you I plan . . “ Mephiles trailed off and looked up as the ceiling began to shake. Crysta locked eyes with Shadow, “They’re here.” She said, half glad for the save, half scared of what could be done to them. Shadow gave her a small smile, “Was there ever any doubt?” He asked, laughing slightly at the persistence of Sonic. “Turn that way!” Sonic yelled at Tails. “I know where I’m going, I’m the PIlOT!” Tails yelled back at him. He turned his eyes away from the windows for a second. “Do you think you can do better?” He asked sarcastically. “Yes, I believe I can!” Sonic declared and pushed Tails out of the pilot’s chair, sitting in it himself. “OK, this button does that and this does that and-” “Sonic, TURN!” Tails yelled as they almost hit a spire. He grabbed the steering wheel and yanked it to the side, barely making it past unscathed. “Get. Out. Of. My. Seat.” Tails said in a deathly calm voice, and Sonic hopped out as quick as he could. “The readings are coming from there.” Sonic said, pointing to a section of the roof. They had been flying around simply trying to find any sign of Crysta or Shadow when strange readings emanating from some abandoned castle showed up. So they had headed there. Needless to say they were both stressed and worried, causing them to constantly snap at each other. It didn’t help that on the way they ran into a huge storm and then ran into a giant fog cloud. “I know where the readings are coming from, I plotted our course.” Tails said, spinning the chair to look at Sonic. That instant was all it took for the Tornado X’s nose to angle down. The ship proceeded to crash land on top of the roof and fall partially through to the floor below. “Really?” Tails said, “Not a word Sonic.” He said threateningly, opening the hatch so they could jump down. Immediately they froze. “That is soooo not good.” Tails said, staring at the scene before him. “I mean really? This isn’t even fair. We can’t have a new villain that’s working with an old villain that we thought we got rid of.” He continued, staring down Mephiles. Sonic just stood silent, staring at his foe. “If you leave now, we might not embarrass you.” Sonic said menacingly. “I think you’ll find it rather hard to get that close.” Shadow Hood responded cockily. Sonic grinned. “I’ll take that as a challenge creepy eyes.” Sonic called, charging. When he hit the invisible wall, instead of slowing he revved up faster and faster. The room seemed to stretch and then pop back into place, and Sonic burst through the shield, trampled Shadow Hood, grabbed Crysta and slammed into the immovable Mephiles, causing him to stagger backwards. “Little help Tails?” He asked nervously backing up a little. “I got you Blue.” Shadow said and teleported behind Mephiles, the barrier around him gone also. He began throwing punches at Mephiles, who then transformed into his crystal version. “I killed you the first time Sonic, and I’ll do it again.” Mephiles declared, punching Shadow out of his way. Tails flew over and caught him before he slammed against the wall. “It’s time to go Sonic!” Tails called, flying over to the ship. Sonic darted around Mephiles and hopped inside, dragging Crysta along with him. Quickly Tails started the ship, and pushed the engine as hard as he could. It detached itself from the roof and flew up into the air. Once they were away from the castle the group relaxed a little. Crysta sat leaning against the side of the ship, head leaning back against the wall. Her mind was whirring and she felt lost. “What happened Shadow? How did he come back?” Sonic asked Shadow, trying to stay calm. Shadow shook his head. “I don’t know how he survived after we went back and destroyed him, but he was trapped inside a black crystal, kind of how he was trapped inside the scepter the first time. Shadow Hood chanted and. .” He trailed off looking at Crysta. “Well? And what?” Tails asked, his Tails twitching like an aggravated cat. “And I let him out, like only I could. Because I’m his daughter.” Crysta said from her position on the ground. “It’s okay Shadow, they would have found it out eventually and keeping secrets only leads to trouble.” She said wryly to Shadow’s surprised face. Sonic stared at her slack jawed and Tails just looked her over, as if searching for similarities between the two. They both began to talk over one another at the same time, freaking out. “Guys!” Shadow yelled, and they both fell silent. “This doesn’t change anything.” He said, helping Crysta stand. “We all want to take Mephiles down, but it was almost impossible the first time. Now he’s stronger than before, and Crysta’s our best hope for that.” Shadow said, Crysta looking down. “Why, cause she’s his daughter?” Tails asked, a little accusatory. “Because I let him out. Shadow Hood used me to set him free, but I can lock him up again.” She said, looking up now. “I am not his daughter. I will fight him and win.” She said, but she seemed sad. “What else is there that you’re not saying?” Shadow asked nervously, sensing her reluctance. “I can trap him again yes, maybe destroy him since I’m his relative, but it will come at a cost. All truly powerful spells do. Usually it’s energy but for this, it’ll drain me completely.” She said quietly. “What are you saying?” Sonic asked confused, but Shadow quietly gasped as he saw what was coming. “The spell will kill me. It will use all my energy, especially since I’m already weaker than usual.” She said eyes hard. Once again the others began to yell over each other, listing all the reasons this was a bad idea. “Look! We don’t have time to discuss this. If we can’t defeat him together, I’ll take him down alone.” Crysta shouted above the noise. The others quieted and nodded. “Now, do we even want to bother with a plan? Cause when we go up against him everything’s just gonna fall to pieces.” Tails said. “No, but the real problem is how we’re going to find them.” Shadow said. “Just land anywhere and they’ll come. He wants me, and he desperately wants to destroy you. He doesn’t understand that if it comes down to it I’ll do what I must. Find a spot away from anyone else and it’ll start, and end.” Crysta said matter of factly, and Tails punched some coordinates into the navigation system. After a quiet and stress filled ride the group touched down in large clearing, that had woods on one side and and a lake behind them. A cool breeze blew, but that wasn’t what made Crysta shiver. As soon as she got off the ship a shadow appeared, and Mephiles rose out of the ground in his normal form, a black hedgehog with light blue highlights. “Your magic is the same as mine, you know. Colored purple is it?” He asked, though he already knew. “My father was killed defending me from your minion. Unlike you he was brave.” Crysta said savagely and tried to attack him, but Shadow grabbed her arm. “Stop. He’s just trying to make you lose focus,and stop you from thinking straight. He uses everyone as pawns.” Crysta nodded and stood silent as the others came off the ship. “What do you expect to accomplish? You all know I will destroy you and take my daughter. She will join me.” He said, without a doubt, “Not if I can help it!” Sonic called cockily, and charged up his super speed. Mephiles just laughed and blasted him with a bolt of his purple colored magic. Sonic flew backwards and skidded to a stop on his knee. As Mephiles readied another blast Crysta used her own magic to pick up Sonic and throw him out of the way. “Ow.” He said, dropping to the ground. “Your welcome!” Crysta called, and the battle began. Shadow Hood had appeared out of nowhere, so Sonic and Tails were preoccupied with him, while Shadow and Crysta took on Mephiles. They worked as a team, using Shadow’s skill to teleport them out of the way of blasts, while Crysta cast her own spells against him, trying to conserve energy. It took only a few minutes to see that they were losing, and badly. Shadow Hood had subdued Sonic, who was hanging upside down from a tree by his shoelaces as Tails launched fireballs, but got hit down from where he was hovering by a blast of Shadow Hood’s magic. Crysta and Sonic still fought , but Crysta knew what it was coming down to. When Shadow Hood materialized by Mephiles’ side she knew Tails and Sonic were subdued, and that her and Shadow had no chance against those two by themselves. “I’m sorry.” She said softly to Shadow. “For what?” He asked confused. In a moment she used her powers to shove him to the edge of the clearing and threw up a dome around him. “Crysta! Let me out!” He yelled pounding the side. She just shook her head and focused on Mephiles. “You don’t honestly intend to do this? Think of how heartbroken little Shadow will be. What will Sonic say? Even he isn’t this foolish. And Tails? Hasn’t he trusted you, seen you clearer than any of the others, won’t he see this attempt as a betrayal? It might not even work you know. You could fail, and then I’ll take you and kill your friends anyway. Or you could come with me. Submit to my rule like a child should, and I’ll leave your friends alone, for now at least. If you come with me they can have a chance.” Crysta stayed completely focuses, refusing to let him get to her, though his words gnawed at her. “Crysta just go! We will always find you!” Shadow yelled from across the field, but Crysta ignored him. Summoning her strength she channeled her magic and shot it at Mephiles in a blast of pure light. He retaliated shooting darkness, and when the two streams collided they shot off sparks. Crysta bent the light into a dome around Mephiles. He bent the darkness around him, protecting him. The power began pushing itself out of her, and she could feel herself getting weaker. Mephiles stepped towards Crysta unharmed by the light she was blasting. “Disgraceful daughter. You can do better. to bad for your friends though.” And he shot a crystal spear at Shadow. “NO!” Crysta screamed, and time seemed to slow as her power swelled and blasted Mephiles at five times the strength. Under her light Mephiles began to fade away, until he was nothing more than a shadow that disappeared. In the next second she jumped in front of Shadow and the crystal spear hit her in her shoulder, and she fell to the ground. Shadow stumbled as the dome holding him in flickered then vanished. “Crysta!” He yelled, running to her unmoving form on the ground. Sonic had managed to untie his laces and sped over there, making it just after Shadow, with Tails following. “Crysta, why would you do that? That was insane and stupid and . .” Shadow trailed off, grief overwhelming him. “I couldn’t let them hurt you. I couldn’t.” She said softly before her eyes closed. “Get her onboard.” Tails said grimly, covering his worry. Once aboard they dragged a bed out to the main room and put her down on it. Tails gently pulled out the crystal spear and cleaned and bound the wound. Crysta was breathing shallowly and still unconscious. Tails chopped off a piece of the crystal and went to analyze it while Sonic and Shadow sat quietly by her side, Shadow with his head resting on his hands. “It should have been me.” Shadow said quietly. “It should have been me.” he said again. “Don’t go there. It’s not your fault. She made the choice to save you.” Sonic said matter of factly, his voice tight. “No one would miss me, if I disappeared, if I just died or vanished. But she’s different. She just reaches people, she brings out their good. She could make a difference. But instead she’s lying there, almost dead, because she saved someone who wasn’t worth the trouble.” Shadow finished, lapsing into silence. “Look Shadow, we don’t always get along, but you’re a good person. She needs you, so don’t go and do anything stupid.” Sonic said as Tails walked into the room. “What did you find?” Sonic asked nervously, knowing it wasn’t good from Tails’ expression. “It was poisoned. Unless she can fight off the magic, or we can find an antidote, she won’t last long. And I’m pretty sure she just destroyed or at least sent into hiding the only one who could tell us how to cure her.” Tails said looking at Crysta’s unmoving form. “There has to be something we can do!” Sonic said, jumping up. “We could find Silver.” Shadow said even toned. “You’re kidding right?” Tails said. “Look, he was played by Mephiles, and spent quite a bit of time following his orders. If anyone knows anything about this it would be him.” Shadow said sharply. Sonic looked at Tails, “He’s right you know.” He said in an unhappy voice. “Great, I’ll go find him. I love meeting up with people who have tried to destroy us. That’s always fun.” Tails mumbled, going off to fly the jet. “He’s just scared and doesn’t know what to do about it.” Sonic said dismissively. They took a sharp left turn causing Sonic to fall and slam into the wall. Shadow grinned, “I think he heard you.” Silver looked up as the Tornado X flew overhead, and landed in an empty parking lot. He sighed and headed over there, knowing this wasn’t just chance. “What’s this about?” Silver asked wearily as Sonic came off board. “Get in.” was all Sonic said. SIlver just nodded and boarded, knowing there was no arguing with him. He could sense Mephiles’ influence as soon as he stepped on board. “He was here? Sonic, you know I wouldn’t help him again, not after last time!” Silver said, worried of suspicion. “This isn’t about that. Not directly. What do you know about his crystal spikes?” Tails asked casually. “Um, they’ll kill you? He just gave me orders, he didn’t tell me anything besides what he had to.” He looked around for a second. “Where’s Shadow? I heard he was travelling with you guys.” He said curiously. Sonic and Tails glanced at each other. “Come on then, you might as well see him. He’s not in a good mood though.” Tails said leading him down a short corridor to the main room. Shadow still sat next to where Crysta lay, as if hoping she’d wake up by herself. Silver gasped as he walked into the room, and the others looked at him puzzled. “Sorry. It’s just I can sense her power and it feels so much like his. That could help her though. I’m assuming this is why you were asking about the crystals.” Shadow nodded and stood. “Can you do anything? You have powers too.” He said wearily. “I can try, I’ll do anything I can.” Silver said, crouching down next to Crysta. “I expect you to tell me what exactly is going on after this Sonic. If Mephiles is back I deserve to know.” The group stayed silent as Silver focused. Silver closed his eyes and focused on his power. He could feel the blood running through her veins, and he could feel the poison in it, woven with power. There was also Crysta’s power, resisting the darkness trying to convert her. Using his own powers he tried separating the dark powers from her. They were twining around her light, trying to put it out. Instead of trying to remove the poison, he channeled some of his energy into her. Slowly the light began to grow, and the dark magic inside her fade. When Silver opened his eyes the group stood staring at him, waiting for a verdict. “That should do it. She’s burned the darkness out of her, all you have to worry now about is the nasty wound she got from that dark aura spear. The poison and power from it is gone.” Silver said standing. The entire group instantly relaxed, and Shadow sank back into his chair sighing. “Now who exactly is this?” Silver asked. “It’s an absurdly long story, but basically she’s Mephiles’ daughter, and she just destroyed him, or severely weakened him. She’ll be able to tell us which when she wakes.” Tails rattled off. “So you let her join your team why?” Silver asked judgmentally. “She didn’t know. She was raised by good people, and then suddenly was all alone, when I should have been there.” Shadow said gloomily. Crysta moved and made a soft sound in her sleep. The group held their breath as she stirred and her eyes opened. “Crysta?” Shadow asked softly. “Shadow? Is everyone OK?” She said, trying to prop herself up on her arm. “Stay still, everyone’s fine. You did it, he’s gone.” Sonic said, crouching down. “He’s not. I didn’t destroy him. He’s still out there, and someday he’ll come back.” She said frightened. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll beat him next time. We have time to prepare now.” Tails said. Crysta nodded and her eyes closed. This time though her breathing was normal and it was a restful sleep. “He’ll be back. He won’t let her go.” Silver said, and the others fell silent. In a dark cave what remained of Mephiles the Dark oozed into the deepest crevice he could find. He cursed Sonic and his friends, and knew that next time they met he would be stronger. He understood now that his daughter would never join him, and that she must be destroyed first if he hoped to get to any of the others. For now though he hid in the shadows and waited, knowing his time to rise would come again. He was free now, and the world would be his. Crysta was up and moving faster than anyone expected. “You honestly can’t expect me to just sit here and do nothing?” She questioned when Sonic told her to relax a little. “Generally people who just nearly died need a little recovery time.” Tails said, passing through the room. “I’m fine now aren’t I? As long as he’s out there I need to be training. This was much too close for comfort and we didn’t even win. Not really.” She pointed out. Sonic just sighed in exasperation and walked away, while Shadow chuckled from where he was leaning against the wall. “What do you find so funny?” Crysta asked turning to him. “Oh, nothing. Watching the two most stubborn people I know argue with each other is just a sight to see, Miss I’m going to run off by myself then get myself killed to save a friend.” Shadow said jokingly. “Well. If I were you I’d be thanking me. You wouldn’t be here to laugh at me if I hadn’t nearly died.” Crysta replied grinning back. “Hey guys, we’re heading out, Egghead’s up to his old tricks.” Sonic called from the other room. “You ready to beat up some useless robots?” Crysta asked Shadow. “Wouldn’t miss it.” He said, and they headed to the control room together, holding hands. They were a team now, and nothing could bring them down, be it robots, monsters or darkness. For the first time Crysta felt like she was home, and she knew she now had a family of her own.


End file.
